Potato-digging machine.



F. G. BRIDGER.

POTATO DIGGING MAGHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 17, 1909.

9 9O,522, Patented Apr. 25, 1911.

WITNESSES $1M 8. W :zzw ff? w TNVENTOR TINTTET) samrns ra'rns'r enrich.

FRANK G. BRIDGER, OF PHELPS, NEW YORK.

POTATO-DIGGING MACHINE.

Application filed September 17, 1909.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, FRANK G. BRIDGER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Phelps, in the county of Ontario and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Potato-Digging Machines; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full and accurate description ofthe said improvements.

The improvements constituting the invention herein described areapplicable to that class of potato-digging machines commonly drawn byhorses, as distinguished from those operated by hand, and the chiefobjects of the sald improvements are the following: first, to morecompletely separate and remove the earth from the potatoes; second, thatthe potatoes, having been cleaned, may be deposited in narrow, compactrows rather than scattered widely, thus greatly lessening the labor ofgathering the potatoes; and third, to reduce the draft, or powerrequired to draw the machine.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the mechanism by means of whichthese results are obtained.

Figure l is a plan view of the improvements as applied to apotato-digging machine of the class above designated, showing only somuch of the latter as is neces sary to make clear the relation betweenthe original machine and the improvements herein described, andomitting, also for the sake of clearness, certain parts of the saidimprovements, these parts being shown in another view. Fig. 2 is asectional view taken on the plane indicated by the broken line in Fig.1.

Similar characters refer to similar parts in both views.

In the operation of the machine shown, the shovel 1 passes through theground underneath the potatoes. The vertical position of the shovel maybe regulated so as to cause it to work at various depths beneath thesurface of the ground, but the means for accomplishing this are notshown, being no part of the present invention. The earth and potatoesdug up pass from the shovel to the conveyer formed by the bars 2, 2,which at each end are interlinked, thus forming an endless chain passingover the sprocket wheels 33 and the rollers H.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 25, 1911.

Serial No. 518,265.

Motion is imparted to the conveyer through the gears 5 5, the gears 6-6,and the main axle of the machine 7 in a manner known to those familiarwith machines of this class.

To the end that the earth that is brought on to the conveyer along withthe potatoes may be separated from the potatoes and sifted through theopenings in the con veyer, means for shaking or agitating the upper sideof the conveyer are provided. Set in the sprocket wheels 33 are fourtransverse bars 88-88 which are placed at intervals of ninety degreesabout the axis of the said sprocket wheels. To the shaft 9 are pivotallyfastened the agitator bars 10-1010-10, the upper ends of these barsresting on one of the transverse'bars 8 and dropping successively fromone to another of the bars 88-88 as the sprocket wheels 3-3 are rotated.Mounted between each of the two pairs of bars 10-10, 10-10 are therollers 11, 11, which constitute one feature of my invention and serve,primarily to lessen the power required to draw the machine and also toincrease the agitating motion given to the conveyer bars 2, 2.

In previous potato-digging machlnes the friction caused by the weight ofthe bars 2, 2, the earth and the potatoes sliding up the inclined bars10, 10 has added considerably to the traction power required. The effectof the rollers in reducing this friction is apparent. As will be seen inFig. 2, the conveyer, in passing over the rollers 11, 11, receives anundulating motion which serves to increase the efficiency of theagitating mechanism in separating the earth from the potatoes.

Having described my lnvention, what I wish to claim as new and protectby Letters Patent is:

In a potato-digging machine of the class described, a conveyer-troughinclined upwardly and rearwardly, the floor of said conveyer-troughbeing formed by one side of an endless carrier, said carrier consistingof transverse rods bent and interlinked at their ends to form an endlesschain, bars disposed in pairs and inclined upwardly to ward the rear ofsaid potato-digging machine, said bars having their lower ends pivotallysupported upon a rod extending transversely of the said conveyer-trough,

means for supporting and agitating the free Wardly and rearwardly movingportion of uppgr ends of inglined barf1 alnd the said endless chain. 7com ination Wit t e a ove name e ements of rollers carried by the saidpairs of bars FRANK BRIDGER' and adapted to come into direct supporting"Witnesses:

contact With the said endless chain at in- SAMUEL S. PARTRIDGE,

tervals throughout the length of the up- ELLA T. BENDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

